For Want of a Notebook
by SailorSaigas
Summary: An overheard rumor. A missing notebook. An overheard dream. An overheard fight. An overheard secret. - Midoriya Izuku and Yaoyorozu Momo meet months before the events of the manga. Their friendship steadily deepens, along with their feelings for one another, as their heroic destinies become forever entwined. [Set during Izuku's final year of middle school.] (IzuMomo) (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**For Want of a Notebook**

 _An overheard rumor. A missing notebook. An overheard dream. An overheard fight. An overheard secret. - Midoriya Izuku and Yaoyorozu Momo meet months before the events of the manga. Their friendship steadily deepens, along with their feelings for one another, as their heroic destinies become forever entwined. **[Set during Izuku's final year of middle school.] (IzuMomo) (AU)**_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Being Quirkless was _not_ some sort of curse. Not really. Life and the media had a tendency to make people think that way, but it was an unfair judgment. And while you wouldn't see these sorts of people saving the day in tights and a cape, Quirkless folks were as integral to society as any person with super strength or super speed. Law enforcement, emergency services, education, entertainment, food service, transportation, research and development, business, politics...none of these fields required some powerful Quirk in order to succeed, and all of them were important cogs in the machine of society. An absence of any one them could very well bring the machine grinding to a halt. It was no shame to be a part of such a field.

But to a Quirkless boy with a big dream and a bigger heart? To such a boy, that sort of logic felt like no more than empty platitudes.

Midoriya Izuku, age 14, stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Tomorrow marked the beginning of his final year of middle school, the time in every student's life where it became necessary to decide on the course of their future. That part was easy, after a fashion. For Izuku, there could be only one option – Yuuei, Japan's most famous and influential Hero Academy. It was the alma mater of his idol, All-Might, Japan's Number One Hero. No other school in the nation could match Yuuei's reputation or resources. Unfortunately, that all came with a catch.

Getting accepted into a Hero Course was never easy, but Yuuei's entry requirements were _notoriously_ difficult. Exam and Course specifics tended to be kept on the down low, and one needed only to glance at the class rosters, the graduates, the teachers, or the Hero Ranking Chart to know the kind of ability demanded of applicants. Quirks with extreme effects like Mount Lady's Gigantification, or incredibly flashy Quirks like Endeavor's Pyrokinesis, were usually the shoe-ins. Ultimately, whomever Izuku approached always told him the same thing when asked if they thought he could become a Hero...

" _It's impossible..."_

 _"You should give up..."_

" _I'm sorry, Izuku!"_

" _DEKU!"_

In the ten years since he'd learned of his Quirkless nature in that doctor's office, nobody had believed in him. To everyone around him, Izuku's dream seemed a hurdle too high to leap, a mountain too high to climb. Gazing at himself in the mirror, he considered that it might be time to change that way of thinking...

...because today, when he'd gone to purchase himself a new notebook for his Quirk research, he'd overheard something incredible!

* * *

" _You know about it, right?"_

" _Oh, you mean that rumor? The one about Yuuei?"_

" _Crazy, right? I mean, getting into the Hero Course without taking the exam? Without even a recommendation from a Pro? Isn't the point that you have to prove yourself?"_

" _Well, I mean, it's not_ so _crazy. My cousin has this friend that failed to get in three years ago. She said they stack the deck."_

" _Stack the deck? What's that supposed to mean?"_

" _She said the test is totally geared towards combat Quirks. Big, flashy stuff. Stuff like All Might or Endeavor, ya know?"_

" _So, how does that make it unfair? I mean, you just used the Number One and Number Two Heroes in your example, so isn't that sort of thing better for the job?"_

" _Well, that's probably true for the rankings. My cousin said his friend's Quirk is pretty amazing, though."_

" _Oh? Amazing how?"_

" _She can put living creatures that hear her sing to sleep."_

" _Whoa. So, kinda like Midnight's Pheromone Quirk, right? How the heck did she fail?"_

" _They were fighting robots in some sort of points system thing. She had no chance right from the start."_

" _Bummer. What does that have to do with the rumor, though?"_

" _Well, she'd aced the written part, ya know? And you have to tell them your Quirk when you apply. Well, the Principal offered her a seat in General Studies. Apparently, there's a way to_ transfer _into the Hero Course after the Sports Festival."_

" _Sports festival?"_

" _You know it's a big thing every year? Well, that's so students can show off to all the Hero agencies. And that means that, if somebody from the Support Course or General Studies managed to place in the top three during the competition, the school would all but_ have _to move them over to the Hero Course!"_

" _Ah! And they do that tournament thing, right? Facing off against_ other students _, right? Her Quirk would totally_ dominate _! Oh...wait, I don't remember that sort of thing happening. Did she not compete? What did she do?"_

" _She turned the Principal's offer_ down _. Wound up attending some sort of fancy Hero Academy in Europe. Totally shot down my cousin when he confessed his love to her, too, haha! Poor guy was inconsolable for a week! She goes by Lullaby, these days. She's pretty popular in France."_

" _Hey, uh, dude? I think that creepy, mumbling kid has been listening to us talk this whole time..."_

* * *

Izuku had apologized profusely for eavesdropping at the time, of course. He supposed he should count himself lucky that they hadn't been the bullying type. If it had been Kacchan's group...

The boy shook his head, returning to his bedroom. No sense thinking about that sort of thing now. What was _important_ was what he had _learned._ If he wanted to get into the Hero Course, he didn't actually _need_ to take the Hero Exam! Even if he only aimed for General Studies, he'd have to study hard. If he wanted to get into Support, he'd need to study even harder, and he'd definitely have to learn to build things. And, regardless of which course he aimed for, he'd need to get stronger. He could work out, learn martial arts, maybe take up the use of throwing knives, something, _anything,_ it didn't matter! He now had a way to achieve his dream by the time he reached high school, even if it meant having to wait until his first-year Sports Festival!

Grinning excitedly, Izuku opened his backpack in search of that new notebook he'd gone to buy. He'd use that to start mapping out his grand plan, and...wait...

Suddenly anxious, the young boy opened the bag even wider, going so far as to stick his whole head inside. The only notebook within was his old one, filled front to back with 'hero research' notes. Realization dawned upon him, as all color drained from his face.

"I...I..."

Slapping both hands to his face in embarrassment, despite the fact that there was nobody else around to see, the boy screamed toward the heavens.

"I FORGOT TO BUY A NEW NOTEBOOK!"

In an awkward rush, the boy quickly shoved the old notebook into his backpack, threw the straps over each shoulder, and bolted out the door, bound for the stationery store for the second time that day.

* * *

Izuku was very happy that he'd caught his mistake before closing hours, and even happier that it was still daylight outside. The store wasn't really far from his home, just a twenty minute walk, but he wasn't the sort to go wandering the streets after dark. That kind of thing required a bit more confidence than he suspected he'd have for awhile yet. It was simply the way of things for a boy in Izuku's position, after all. He did plan to work on it after today, now that he had a clear goal in mind for getting into Yuuei's Hero Course.

Entering through the shop's door, accompanied by the soft chiming of a bell, Izuku swiftly rushed over to the spot where his preferred brand of composition notebooks could be found.

"In a bit of a hurry today, are we, Midoriya-kun?" the store's owner, a kindly old woman with fangs and mildly feline features, called out to him. "I thought I saw you outside earlier, but you never came into the store. I thought I must have been mistaken."

"Oh, um, I w-was here earlier," Izuku replied, his face coloring slightly as he took a notebook from the shelf. "Um, I j-just got a little, er, d-distracted. B-before I even realized it, I'd w-walked all the way home."

It wasn't a lie, even if he didn't share the part where he'd been eavesdropping on a pair of older teens for an entire conversation.

The elderly lady behind the counter chuckled. "You get too invested in your note-taking? You buy new books often enough that it doesn't surprise me. Probably expected to fill out the rest of your of your old notebook on the way here, but hadn't finished by the time you arrived, right?"

"T-that's not what happened!" the boy defensively declared. That was true...though such a thing _had_ happened in the past. "I just h-had a sort of...e-epiphany, I guess."

"Ooooh, an _epiphany_ ," teased the shopkeeper, though she meant it in good humor. It wasn't intended to be mean, she had just been acquainted with the nervous boy and his mother for a long time now, so she knew the best ways to get a reaction from him. "What was it you had this epiphany about, child?"

Izuku's face reddened again. Well, he supposed he could tell her. She'd probably have about the same reaction as his mother, but that was okay. He kind of _wanted_ to share the excitement and hope he was feeling with _somebody_.

"I, um, finally figured out a way to become a Pro Hero...maybe," he said softly while the old woman rang up his item.

To her credit, she didn't laugh at him. Instead, she simply sighed and shook her head, a typical adult's response to something they didn't care for, but had become accustomed to hearing. A soft chime sounded from the doorway as the shopkeeper counted out his change.

"I'm not going to try and dissuade you, child," she softly remarked. "That sort of thing isn't my place. I take it you know where you want to go?"

"Y-yeah!" Izuku enthusiastically replied. "I'm going to apply for Yuuei!"

There was a loud clatter from behind Izuku, though he noticed no one when he glanced back toward the aisles.

 _Somebody must have dropped something_ , he thought, as he accepted his change from the old woman.

In that same moment, the backroom telephone began ringing. With the shopkeeper's back turned away as she rushed to answer the call, Izuku was left helpless when three pairs of hands suddenly hoisted him off his feet, swiftly dragging him out the front doorway and into the alley adjacent to the shop. As the Quirkless boy was roughly shoved against the wall of the neighboring building, he finally managed to get a view of his attackers...and all blood drained from his face upon the realization that mentioning Yuuei to the elderly woman had been a horrible, horrible mistake.

Before him stood Bakugou Katsuki and his two cronies, his once-friends that long ago had become his most fervently terrible bullies and tormentors, glaring so ferociously at Izuku that he very nearly pissed himself in sheer terror. Kacchan – for Izuku still thought of him as such, even after nearly a decade of abuse – looked positively _murderous_ , his face twisted into a snarl, and his left hand clenching open and closed as he used his Quirk to set off miniature explosions in his palm.

"Just what the _HELL_ was that _NONSENSE_ you were spewing, _DEKU?!_ " the blonde teen growled as his two henchmen sneered from either side of him toward Izuku.

There it was.

That _name_.

Izuku only ever heard _that_ moniker from his former friend anymore, ever since the day his preschool class learned that he had no Quirk.

Deku. An object with no value, like a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

 _Worthless._

"I asked you a _QUESTION_ , you pathetic piece of gutter trash!" Kacchan raged. "Where do you get off sayin' that some talentless, Quirkless, _worthless_ pebble like you is gonna go to Yuuei?!"

"Oi, Bakugou! Get a load of this!" said one of Kacchan's cronies, who'd taken to looking through Izuku's pilfered backpack. "The nerd's already studyin' for exams! Check out his notebook!"

 _No,_ thought Izuku, as the bully opened up the notebook. It was Izuku's old one, the one where he wrote all of his observations, the one he'd filled up. _No, no, no! Don't touch that! That isn't yours! Stop it!_

Crony Two swiped the notebook from Crony One's hands, laughing uproariously as he flipped through the pages. "Pfffffft, Hero Research! What the hell kind of otaku bullshit is this?"

The bully's laughter suddenly died off, however, as he turned to a particular page. The boy's sneer turned into a menacing scowl as he looked over the contents.

"Dude, Bakugou," he muttered, holding the notebook out to Kacchan with only his thumb and forefinger, as if it was a disgusting old gym sock. "The little creep's been writing shit about _you_!"

Unable to take anymore of this, Izuku made an attempt to grab the notebook. Catching the movement, Bakugou clutched at the boy's shirt collar, using Izuku's own momentum against him as he sent the boy hurtling toward the wall opposite his previous position. It had been Kacchan's intention to slam him back-first...

...that, however, hadn't been what happened.

Izuku's shoelaces had come untied as he'd been dragged out of the store. As such, when Bakugou redirected the boy's movement, he'd wound up losing his footing. The end result was Izuku face-planting into solid wall. _Hard_.

The boy cried out in pain as the left side of his face smashed against the barrier. He clutched uselessly at the wound with both hands, dropping to his back and writhing on the ground. He could hear Bakugou's pair of goons laughing at his misery, though Kacchan himself remained noticeably silent.

"Tch! Seriously, _Deku?_ How pathetic can you get?" the blonde boy said. He spit out the words like he was trying to clear a bad taste from his mouth.

"Shit!" called out Crony One. "Bakugou, someone's coming! We need to go!"

The telltale boom of a miniature explosion rang in Izuku's ears, followed by the slap of a notebook hitting the ground near his head. His Hero Research had been thoroughly toasted by Kacchan's Quirk.

"That injury ain't my fault, Deku _,_ " Bakugou snarled at him from right next to his ear, the sound of his voice even more terrifying as a whisper than it had been as a shout. "You tripped over your own damn feet. _Remember that_ , and think twice before you _ever_ try to reach above your station again. _Know_ your _place_ in this world, because I _will not_ allow you to get in my way."

There was the sound of rapid footsteps in both directions as Kacchan and the other two made their escape, signaling to Izuku that somebody else had approached the alley from the storefront side. The green-haired youth managed to sit himself up against the wall, left hand covering the side of his face that bashed against the side of the shop. His vision was a bit hazy, and he could tell from the tenderness of his face that he'd be pretty bruised, but his eye hadn't swollen shut or anything, so that was a plus. He brought his hand away from his face to glance at it. There was blood on his palm, though not a lot.

 _I probably got a small cut on impact_ , he thought, returning his hand to his face. _But it isn't too bad. Mom's still gonna have a fit when she sees, though..._

"Oh, my goodness!" cried a voice. It was feminine-sounding, though not the voice of the old shopkeeper. Younger, probably his age. A teenage girl? "Sebastian, bring the car around! Someone's hurt!"

Izuku felt a hand on his right shoulder, and he turned to face the person whose arrival had inadvertently frightened away his bullies...

...only to peer directly into a pair of large, almondine eyes, with irises so deeply brown in color as to be near-black, mere inches from his own face. For half a moment, he utterly failed to process the other person's proximity. Those eyes...

Then the moment was gone, and Izuku felt his face flush.

 _S-she's too c-close! Too close!_

He tried to scoot away from the girl (it _was_ a girl!), but there just so happened to be a wall there. Fortunately for Izuku's blood pressure, the girl seemed to notice that she'd moved a bit too deeply into the boy's personal space. Swiftly, she backed away from him, coming to a sitting position on her knees and glancing off to one side.

"Pardon me," the girl spoke, her voice soft. "Are you alright? You're injured. Were you mugged?"

Izuku had some trouble finding his tongue for a moment. A girl his age was talking to him! She was concerned about him! She...witnessed the aftermath of him getting beat up...wow...that was some depressing first encounter. The boy didn't notice that his focus had shifted back to her eyes, or that she cocked her head to one side with a look of curiosity. When he did realize he'd been staring (and mumbling – Oh, god, he'd been doing the mumbling thing!) he let out a nervous cough that was very nearly a yelp.

"Ah! U-um, no!" he declared, a bit too loudly. He flinched at his own volume. "N-no, I wasn't m-mugged. Those were j-just...some guys I h-happen to know..."

"Did they do that to you?" she asked, her voice becoming shockingly stern.

 _That injury ain't my fault, Deku._

Izuku cringed back at Kacchan's words in his mind. "No, they...t-they didn't do it. I t-tripped on my s-shoelaces..."

Even though he knew it was true in a strictly technical sense, the words still seemed hollow to the Quirkless boy's ears.

The mysterious girl frowned, but said nothing in response. The seconds steadily ticked by, neither teenager speaking a word. In the silence, Izuku noted the girl's appearance. She hand long black hair, tied up in a voluminous high ponytail, with pale, smooth skin, and even seated on her knees Izuku could tell she was tall. Taller than him, that much was certain. Even though she was dressed in a skirt and blouse uniform from some high-end private school that very much complemented her shapely figure, Izuku hardly noticed. His gaze kept returning to her eyes. They weren't abnormal, or an odd color, or any number of things that might seem remarkable considering the sheer possibility of Quirk mutations. Even so, the green-haired boy found himself utterly transfixed.

The sound of a vehicle pulling up alongside the alley brought Izuku sharply out of his daze, while the girl swiftly got to her feet, hands idly straightening her skirt as she did so. Looking down at Izuku, the soft smile returned, and she held her hand out to him.

"My name is Yaoyorozu Momo," the girl introduced herself. "Can you walk?"

With an almost imperceptible nod, Izuku slowly reached up and grasped the proffered hand. Immediately, there was a strange sensation like the warm tingle of static as their two grips closed over one another. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and for a very brief instant, Izuku felt as though all of his anxieties of the past few minutes had vanished, and his heart raced in his chest. After the boy had regained his footing, the two teenagers simply stared at each other, still-joined hands forgotten.

 _What is...happening here?_

"Ahem!"

The moment came crashing to its end, as the two teenagers frantically separated, looking toward the direction of the interruption. A foreign-looking man, possibly in his late sixties, with a perfectly trimmed white beard, equally white hair in a professionally maintained side part, and a jet black driver's uniform, stared coolly at the two of them. The expression on his face was one of stony discipline, pure and utter business.

"The car, young miss," the man bluntly stated, his accented voice a powerfully deep basso.

"Oh! Yes, of course! Thank you, Sebastian," responded Yaoyorozu, who then turned to look at Izuku. "Please, allow us to give you a ride home. I can bandage your wound on the way, um..."

The girl trailed off, and the green-haired youth realized he'd never introduced himself. "O-oh! I'm s-so sorry! I'm Midoriya Izuku! It's a p-pleasure to meet you, and t-thank you for your g-generosity!"

"Not at all! The pleasure is mine. As I mentioned before, I'm Yaoyorozu Momo. This gentleman is my driver, Sebastian."

Said driver opened the rearmost passenger-side door of the car, which Izuku only just realized was actually a sleek, black limousine. He fought to keep himself from gawking. Had he been rescued by some sort of princess?

"Please, young miss," the driver pleaded, though his voice was the epitome of dutiful propriety. "We are quite late, as it is."

"Of course, of course. Well, Midoriya-san?"

Under normal circumstances, Midoriya Izuku would have never even considered stepping into that vehicle.

Under normal circumstances, Midoriya Izuku would have stuttered his way nervously through fifty excuses before running home at a sprint.

Under normal circumstances, Midoriya Izuku might have realized he'd had an actual conversation with a girl his age for the first time in his life, and promptly fainted.

...but, of course, Midoriya Izuku wouldn't have been there under normal circumstances. He'd have never needed to come back to buy a new notebook, he'd have never been injured in altercation with Bakugou Katsuki and his pair of sidekick bullies, and he'd have never been rescued from further humiliation by the timely arrival of a girl out on a drive. She'd saved him.

And...the tingling feeling from when he'd held her hand...it hadn't abated.

So, with a nod, Midoriya Izuku gathered his fallen backpack and notebooks, and climbed into the back the car with Yaoyorozu Momo.

His hero.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Yaoyorozu Momo wasn't quite sure what to make of the green-haired boy sitting across from her in the spacious limousine. Midoriya Izuku seemed very anxious, fidgeting about as he peered around at the vehicle's booth-style seating. Occasionally he would steal a glance at Momo's face, only to look away sharply moments later. It was odd, but honestly kind of endearing, particularly since his natural inclination was to look at her face and not at...other things. As Sebastian returned to his seat behind the wheel of the vehicle, the dark-haired girl stood up and moved closer to her guest. Her sudden proximity immediately caused him to go rigid with barely-contained nervous tension.

 _I wonder if he's usually like this, or if it's the result of that altercation in the alley?_ Momo thought as she settled into her seat.

Out loud, she softly said, "Okay then, Midoriya-san, let's see what we can do for your injury."

The boy nodded stiffly in response. "U-um, I was l-looking around the car, but I d-didn't notice a first aid b-box back here."

"Oh, we won't be needing anything so extensive, Midoriya-san," Momo replied, casually removing the blazer of her uniform. "It's just a little cut, with some bruising and swelling. We have ice and bottled water in the cooler, so..."

Momo held out her harm, now bare from the elbow down, and gave Midoriya a smile. The boy looked confused for a moment, cocking his head to one side. Suddenly, particles of light began to appear on the dark-haired girl's forearm, and from those particles something began to emerge. Within seconds, the light dissipated, and in her hand she held a large square of red, silken cloth, with the letters "M.Y." neatly printed upon it in gold.

"D-did...," the stunned youth began, face frozen in utter amazement. "Did you just _create_ a _monogrammed handkerchief_ from your _arm_?!"

Momo recoiled a bit at the reaction, and Midoriya seemed to flinch at his own volume. He held up his hands, palms forward in an apologetic gesture.

"A-ah, s-sorry," he said, nodding his head in a miniaturized facsimile of a bow. "I d-didn't mean to shout. That was j-just so...so..."

 _Oh, no,_ Momo thought. _Does he think it's weird? Was it strange to show off my Quirk like that? I could have used a different piece of cloth, or maybe he already had a handkerchief, or perhaps –_

"– absolutely incredible!"

The end of Midoriya's sentence caught Momo off guard. She'd gone on a mental tangent, fully prepared to believe that the boy had been put off by her use of Creation. Instead...he thought it was _incredible_?

Midoriya turned to face Momo directly, sitting on his knees atop the plush leather of the limo seat. No longer did he have the appearance of a nervous bunny rabbit, wary of potential danger around any and every corner. Now, his wide-eyed face positively glowed with an adorable expression of pure, childlike wonder.

"Your Quirk is _amazing_!" he exclaimed, though he'd made an effort to keep the volume respectable this time.

Opening his backpack, Midoriya pulled out a pair of composition notebooks. At least, Momo _thought_ that was what they were. One of the books had clearly been through the wringer. It looked oddly...charred, perhaps? How did that happen? The boy set the weathered book on the seat, in the space between himself and Momo, and began to set about furiously writing something in the newer-looking book. The dark-haired girl stared, transfixed at the boy's sudden shift in demeanor, before realizing she'd unconsciously mirrored him, sitting on her knees atop the seat. Before she could so much as consider correcting herself, however, Midoriya looked up at her...and smiled.

 _Ba-bump!_

Heat! Her face! Tingling! Her hand! That _smile_...those _eyes_...

 _W-what? What in the world?!_

"Yaoyorozu-san!" the green-haired boy shouted, seemingly radiating excitement. "Would you mind telling me a little bit about your Quirk?"

Momo's mind refocused itself, and she blinked away...whatever _that_ previous sensation had been. "T-tell you? About my Quirk?"

Midoriya nodded, motioning with one hand to the charred notebook lying between them. "I think it's a really marvelous Quirk, and want to include it in my Hero Research. I mean, _wow_! The ability to create things from your body! That's gotta be so useful! Are you planning to become a Pro Hero? Can you create anything, or are there limitations? Mass or material restrictions? Does the Quirk require exposed skin, or can whatever you make tear through an outer layer of clothing? Where do you get the energy to create something? Oh wait, you probably get it from processing nutrients from food, or perhaps it is a solar-powered ability..."

The youth had trailed off into a high-speed stream of incoherent mumbling under his breath, contemplations on the science of Momo's Creation having driven him into some sort of analytical overdrive. Momo, dumbfounded, could only stare. The way he mumbled had a strange, somewhat intimidating aura to it, yet the dark-haired girl found it more impressive than discomforting. To her, it made his mind seem incredibly sharp and intuitive.

 _He's like me_ , she thought. _He shares that natural desire to learn; that natural love of note-taking and studying! I am absolutely certain of it!_

The very idea of it caused an involuntary, giddy sort of giggle to escape her lips. At the sound, Midoriya's mumbling ceased. He looked blankly at the girl for a moment, eyes locked on her own, then immediately began to blush furiously upon the realization of what he had been doing.

""O-oh my gosh!" he exclaimed, sharply looking down at his hands. "I w-was doing it, wasn't I? I started m-mumbling to myself, d-didn't I? P-people tell me it's c-creepy...I'm very sorry! I j-just get so excited about Heroes and Q-quirks, I can get c-carried away..."

 _Oh, his stuttering is back_ , Momo noticed. _I must have made him nervous by laughing like that. Control, Momo! You were taught better than this!_

"It's okay, Midoriya-san. I didn't think it was creepy," the dark-haired girl spoke, with complete sincerity. "Perhaps you simply need to come off a little less...intense? Regardless, I apologize for laughing. It wasn't actually directed at you."

Momo considered the flustered boy for a moment, and looked down at the old notebook he'd made reference to earlier. "You say you do Hero Research? As in, you study the Quirks and abilities of Pro Heroes, and write down your findings in notebooks like these?"

Midoriya looked a little tense for a few brief seconds, before he sat up a bit straighter and gave a small nod. "Pro Heroes...Quirks...they fascinate me."

Momo moved to pick up the notebook, but stopped herself, hand just above it. "May I, Midoriya-san?"

"O-oh! Please, f-feel free!"

Permission gained, the girl picked up the notebook gingerly, and began to slowly leaf through the pages. Some were damaged, likely from whatever fire or explosion the book had clearly been in, but the undamaged material...

Observations and analysis accompanied surprisingly detailed sketches of Pro Heroes. Theories and postulations on the effectiveness of Quirks in certain conditions and certain settings filled entire pages, with annotations about where in Japan abilities would be most useful, and how such usefulness could be best exploited. The most amazing things, if simultaneously the most amateurish of the book's contents, were the ideas pertaining to how certain Heroes could improve their tools and suits. The drawings in these sections were more akin to doodles than proper blueprints, and the notes tended to gloss over most technical details of how some piece of gear might be developed. Yet, while Midoriya was clearly unversed in mechanical engineering, many of his points made in the notes were theoretically well-grounded.

"Midoriya-san, these notes are fantastic," Momo commented bluntly, meeting the gaze of the boy's green eyes.

"W-what?!" responded Midoriya, so taken aback with embarrassment that he waved his arms wildly in front of his rapidly reddening face. "T-that's not...I mean, it's j-just me being a Pro Hero o-otaku! Nothing special!"

"Don't say something like that! It _is_ special!"

Momo had shouted more fiercely than she'd intended, but she didn't regret speaking her mind. This self-deprecating tendency of his was beginning to bother her, and she didn't like that. Regardless, her face heated at Midoriya's stunned silence, along with a stern look from Sebastian from the cab of the limo. With a polite cough, she composed herself.

"I apologize for my outburst, Midoriya-san," the girl said, mustering every ounce of propriety her etiquette classes had drilled into her. "I did not mean to be so rude. It was unbecoming, and I hope you'll forgive me."

"That's not true, Yaoyorozu-san," Midoriya quietly replied. His stutter seemed to have vanished again. "You were being polite, and trying to compliment me. You weren't being rude. I'm just...not used to that sort of thing, you see, so I overreacted. I'm the one who should apologize. So...sorry."

The two sat in silence for a little while, neither glancing at the other. In the end, it was the girl who acted first, nervously scratching at the back of her head as she met Midoriya's gaze once more.

"I noticed that your notes really do seem to fixate on Pro Heroes," Momo said, tapping the notebook with a finger. "You especially write a lot about Pro Heroes associated with Yuuei. Are you aiming to attend Yuuei to get a Pro Hero License?"

The question seemed to make the boy nervous, and he clasped his hands tightly together.

"I want to...become a Hero like my idol, All-Might," Midoriya said after a short while. "I want to be the sort of Hero who saves people with a reassuring smile on my face. That is my dream..."

Momo placed a hand over mouth, holding in a gasp. She could feel her eyes watering slightly. _That is so moving!_

"I think that's a wonderful dream!" cried Momo with a smile. "So then..."

The girl leaned in closer, almost conspiratorially, as if she was about to learn government secrets.

"...what's _your_ Quirk, Midoriya-san?"

They were the wrong words, though she'd had no way of predicting that. The green-haired youth seemed to deflate at the question, and he looked away. To Momo's eyes, it seemed as though he were recalling a vivid memory, a bad one, and the boy squeezed his eyes tightly shut against the recollection. What could cause such a reaction? Was it that his Quirk was simplistic or unremarkable? Perhaps it was a mental enhancement Quirk, which were well-known for being difficult to apply effectively in the Pro Hero environment. His Hero Notebooks made a strong case for that theory, even if some parts weren't as detailed. A mental Quirk wouldn't get him into most Heroics courses in the nation, though there were some exceptions. Or was the problem...actually...?

Realization hit her like a lead weight dropped from five stories high. Could that truly be it?

"Midoriya-san," Momo hesitantly began, "are you Quirkless?"

Midoriya opened his eyes. Slowly, he nodded in affirmation, though he continued to look away from the dark-haired girl. He clenched his left hand repeatedly, open and closed, for a few moments. Then with a heavy sigh, he looked back to Momo. There seemed to be a fire in his eyes now, and the girl was slightly surprised at the intensity of the gaze.

"I may be Quirkless, but I'm _not_ going to give up on my dream!" Midoriya declared with a look of steadfast determination.

 _Ba-bump!_

That sensation again! Momo felt her pulse quicken, the tingling in her hand returning.

"I overheard some older guys talking today," Midoriya continued. "They said that students from Yuuei's Support and General Studies courses can still be transferred into Heroics under the right circumstances. So, I have decided to make that my goal. I will aim for one of those courses, and then I will prove myself in the annual Sports Festival!"

 _Yuuei...,_ Momo contemplated. _So he_ is _still going to shoot for Yuuei, even without a Quirk..._

Admittedly, Midoriya didn't technically _need_ a Quirk to be in Support. So long as he had the necessary mechanical acumen for it, such a course required no flashy powers. He would, of course, need to develop some sort of engineering skill, but that could be accomplished with access to a proper tutor. As for General Studies, Momo had no doubt he'd already be a shoe-in. She didn't know his money situation, so she couldn't speak to whether or not he could afford General Studies' costly tuition, but the green-haired youth definitely had the intellect to dominate a purely academic course. Even if he was a bit unrefined in that regard, and tended to fixate on his special interests, such an edge could still be sharpened and –

"Oh, so you do it, too..."

Momo looked up sharply, heat blossoming in her face. "D-do what?"

"Oh, um," Midoriya looked sheepishly away from her. "Sorry. You were muttering to yourself just now. Though, I don't think you give off quite the same aura when you do it. It was more like being filled with warmth merely by witnessing your sheer excitement, I guess you could say."

The dark-haired girl covered her face with both hands, as if to hide. He'd been so direct about it! Her face felt like it was on fire!

"Yaoyorozu-san?" she heard the boy say. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything."

Momo dropped her hands into her lap, shaking her head fiercely. "Not at all! I simply wasn't expecting to be called out in so blunt a manner. And...the bit about warmth..."

She felt the heat in her face intensifying, yet again. Why was this happening?! She'd never blushed so hard or consistently in her life! Was Midoriya certain he was Quirkless? He wasn't using some strange power on her, right?!

For his part, the green-haired boy seemed to have caught Momo's embarrassment. He kept his hands in his lap, shifting from side to side as he timidly looked from his clasped hands, to Momo, and back down again. It was only then that, with shock, the girl once again noticed the still-untreated injury on Midoriya's face.

"Oh, my goodness!" she shouted, rushing to open the limousine's built-in cooler. From within, she removed a water bottle. "I was so distracted that I forgot to take care of your wound! Hold still, please!"

"O-okay!" responded the Quirkless youth, going perfectly still as the girl approached him.

Momo wet the Quirk-produced handkerchief, and gently set about wiping away the dried blood and dust. Midoriya managed to remain utterly frozen in place throughout the process, though any decent glance at the poor boy could have given an onlooker reason to believe every last blood cell in his body had rushed to his face. Momo, meanwhile, was too invested in her endeavor to notice the effect her ministrations had on the youth.

Her cleaning completed, the dark-haired girl leaned in close to get a better look at the cut on Midoriya's face. It was as she thought, more a shallow scrape than anything and...

Time seemed to stop for the two teenagers as their eyes met. Momo had needed to get closer in order to effectively clean the injury, but now the pair's faces were only inches apart. Midoriya's face was already so red that, when combined with his green hair, he more resembled a tomato than a person. Now it was Momo's turn, as she felt the heat blaze in her cheeks once again. It was strange, awkward, uncomfortable, improper...yet she found herself unable to look away, lost as she was in the green of those eyes –

The screeching of tires signaled a sudden shift in momentum as the two kids, unbuckled in their seats, were sent crashing to the floor of the vehicle.

"Sebastian!" Momo exclaimed, looking back at the cab of the limousine from her position atop a dazed Izuku. "What in the world are you doing up there?!"

"Apologies, young miss," the driver said, the faintest hint of...something in his voice. Humor? "A cat leaped into the road. Had to slam the brakes, I'm afraid, else I'd have flattened the poor fellow. I am _terribly_ sorry the jolt interrupted your... _conversation_...with the young sir."

No doubt about it now, Sebastian was _teasing her_! The two teens hadn't really been 'conversing' at all when the driver had halted the car, and he knew that perfectly well! There probably wasn't ever an actual cat in the road, even! Still, Momo was glad to have been snapped from her daze. She'd been feeling very peculiar ever since offering to give Izuku a ride home. No...no it had been even before that. She didn't have long to ponder that, however, before she noticed that Izuku hadn't sat up since the sudden stop. Two and two makes four, of course, and Momo's face turned ashen. Slowly, shakily, she looked beneath her. It was, to her great shame, exactly as she feared.

On the floor of the limo, dazed and confused and _steaming_ from the ears, lay Midoriya Izuku...

...and Momo was currently straddling his waist.

With a high-pitched yelp, the dark-haired girl all but flash-stepped back into her seat, away from the prone body of the Quirkless boy. This allowed the youth freedom to move about again. Sluggishly, Izuku made his way off the floor and into a seat directly across from Momo. Somehow, the act of increasing the gap between the two of them only served to make the situation more awkward. Fortunately, Sebastian presented a remedy.

"We've arrived at our destination, young miss," the elderly driver stated. Swiftly, he exited the car and moved to open the door for his passengers. As he did so, the orange light of sunset filtered into the vehicle's interior.

Izuku quickly made a move to exit, only to be stopped by a light tugging on the back of his shirt.

"Wait."

The boy turned to face the girl, and he noticed the offerings held in each of her hands. In her left hand was the boy's backpack. In her right hand was the girl's handkerchief, wrapped around some lumpy bulk and tied off at the end. She had filled it with ice from the cooler.

""The school-year starts tomorrow," Momo softly spoke. "You don't want to forget your backpack. The ice is for the swelling, of course."

Silently, the boy accepted the proffered bag and icepack, though neither he nor Momo seemed to notice how their fingers strayed to brush one another's during the exchange.

"I never answered your original questions," the dark-haired girl said. "About my Quirk, I mean. Perhaps we can discuss it some other time. But I do have something I wish to say before you go. I also intend to become a Pro Hero. And when I attend high school...it will be at Yuuei."

She looked directly into Izuku's eyes then, smiling gently. "When I do, I think I'd like it very much if we were schoolmates. After meeting you today, I know...I know that you _can_ become a great Hero...Midoriya-kun."

If the boy noticed the new honorific, he did not show it. Rather, he simply placed the icepack on his face, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and gave Momo a positively _enormous_ smile. In the light of the setting sun, Izuku seemed to glow.

 _Ba-bump!_

"Thank you very much for everything, Yaoyorozu-san, Sebastian-san!" replied the Quirkless boy. "I'll work very hard from this point forward!"

And within moments, the boy had retreated into his residence, and Momo was left alone inside the limousine. Exhaling a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, she plopped back into one of the seats, sprawling out along its entire surface. She'd have been scolded for her unladylike posture for certain, had she been at home. For now, she simply relaxed. Idly, she fully extended her right arm in front of her, hand open as if to grasp something just out of reach. The hand still seemed to tingle with the memory of that strange sensation.

"Midoriya...Izuku-kun, huh?"

Shaking her head, she sat back up in her seat, and went about straightening her outfit and fixing her hair. It wasn't until she was finished that her gaze happened to fall upon the object lying on the carpeted floor.

A composition notebook, battered and charred.

 _Oh, no! I forgot to put the book in his backpack!_

The girl began to turn toward the cab to tell Sebastian they should return to Izuku's home, only to find herself stopping halfway. With a quiet cough, she returned to a proper seated position, facing away from where Sebastian was seated at the wheel of the limo. The notebook rested in her lap, Momo's right hand resting atop the cover.

 _It won't hurt_ , she thought with a smile, _to return it tomorrow. After school._

* * *

Midoriya Izuku greeted his mother briefly as he came through the doorway of their home, but avoided the inevitable barrage of questions. Instead, he ran straight to his room, closing the door hastily behind him, and collapsing to his knees on the floor. The icepack and backpack fell from his hands as he stared up at the ceiling.

Today had been the greatest day of Izuku's life. He had learned that his dreams could be achieved! He'd met somebody amazing and wonderful! Said somebody, a _girl_ , had saved him from Bakugou! He had _talked_ to a _girl_! But, more importantly than that...more important than her help, her kindness, her genuine interest, her soft smile, or her beautiful eyes – none of which he'd soon forget! – he would always remember _that one thing_. The most precious words he'd ever been told in his entire life, words that even his own mother had never spoken to him...

" _I know that you_ can _become a great Hero...Midoriya-kun."_

The dam broke, and the tears Midoriya Izuku had held back from the moment Yaoyorozu Momo had spoken those words to him flowed from his eyes like twin waterfalls.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _Thank you all very much for reading, so far. I was absolutely shocked at the response this story received, even only a day after publishing it here. Needless to say, after that sort of response, I felt like I needed to get the second chapter out as soon as possible. I cannot promise that updates will always be so fast. My goal is to release new chapters within 1-2 weeks of each other._

 _With that said, a few quick remarks before I leave you. You will probably be noticing small changes here and there with regard to the characters of Izuku and Momo. These are, mostly, intentional. I have plans for their development over the course of the year until the entrance exam. Even so, I''m sure that there may be little errors here and there along the way. I do not use a beta, and I prefer it that way, so the story is pretty much presented as-is unless I screw up something major later on._

 _As far as the relationship between Izuku and Momo, and how far and fast it will progress, this is ultimately a bit on the side of slow-burn. There will be no sexy times for these two characters right away, even once we reach the point of the canon, I think. Then again, who knows what the future holds? Beyond that, I will not say. I think that part of the romance is not knowing how each interaction will play out._

 _Anyway, please feel free to follow, favorite, or leave a review. Every response helps me to stay motivated and keep on schedule. As a challenge, see if you can pinpoint where it is in this chapter that Momo's perception of Izuku somewhat shifts (hint: it's actually_ before _she switches to the -kun honorific). I look forward to providing what I hope shall be a fun read for you all._

 _Sincerely,_

 _~ Sophie ~_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The morning of Midoriya Izuku's first day of ninth grade went about as well as could be expected. He woke to discover that he had, of course, misplaced his old Hero Notebook. That wouldn't be cause for alarm in most circumstances, given that the book was already completely filled. In this case, the fact it had gone missing at all seemed a strong indicator to Izuku that it had been forgotten in Yaoyorozu Momo's limousine. The green-haired youth wasn't sure if it was right for him to feel joy at the prospect of Momo dropping by the house sometime to return the forgotten item, but he'd be lying if he said the thought of seeing the dark-haired girl again didn't appeal to him. Like as not, though, the best he could expect would be to happen upon the notebook in the mail slot one day. People just...didn't like to associate with some Quirkless kid for long.

 _Yaoyorozu-san isn't like that!_ the boy thought as he began his morning routine. _Yaoyorozu-san...she told me that I can be a Hero! She's a good person!_

It was a pleasant thought, if a moot point. Whether she returned the notebook in person or by post, it wasn't like the two of them were going to become good friends, long-term. They were a boy and a girl, both of them attending a different school, and both of them worlds apart in social status. He'd looked up the name 'Yaoyorozu' last night, thinking that it had sounded slightly familiar, only to discover that Momo was the heiress to one of the most influential corporate families in all of Japan. She was like a modern day princess, complete with an insanely awesome Quirk. By comparison, Izuku was little more than some Quirkless commoner.

 _Still...it would be nice to see her again..._

As Izuku sat down to eat breakfast, his mother eyed him with a curious expression.

Inko had been worried when he'd come home with a bruised face, upset when he ran straight into his bedroom while offering only a token greeting, and scared when she heard him loudly sobbing only moments later. Shortly after that, the boy had discussed the day's events with her, though he'd taken care to excise any mention of Kacchan to keep his mother from running off to have a word with Bakugou's mother. Inko's eyes had gone wide as saucers when Izuku reached the part where a beautiful girl had help him after he tripped and injured himself. By the time the boy got to the part of the story where Momo had told him that she believed he could be a Hero, his mother had begun to cry...even as her smile got larger at the news of her son meeting a girl.

"Izuku," Inko began, far from the blubbering mess she'd been the previous evening, "you _are_ going to invite that nice girl over so that we can thank her properly, _right_?"

The green-haired boy choked a bit on his drink. "Guh! M-Mom! T-that's completely unnecessary! She doesn't have to c-come here just because I t-tripped on my laces!"

At that, the youth began to stare down at his food, a melancholy expression on his face.

"Besides...," he mumbled, "I couldn't get in touch with her even if I wanted to. She's this super-important heiress, and goes to this posh private school for the wealthy elite. She was probably only over in that part of town to pick up her uniform for the new school-year or something. She was wearing it when I saw her, even though it wasn't a school day."

His mother frowned slightly. "Well, that doesn't mean you can't _try_ , at least. She's going to be attending high school at Yuuei next year, right? If your new goal is to enter Support or General Studies, she'd make for a good _study partner_ , don't you think?"

Wow, Mom was laying it on a bit thick. "Well, I _did_ forget a notebook in her car. M-maybe I'll bring that idea up. I-if she decides to return it, I mean! Maybe..."

Inko smiled. "Good. Now, you need to get going soon, or else you're going to wind up late for opening ceremony."

"Oh, that's right!"

Standing, Izuku made a move to begin clearing the table, but his mother shooed him away with her hands. As he made his way to the front door, he went through a checklist in his mind.

 _Uniform? Check. Backpack with all required textbooks? Check. Latest Hero Notebook? Check. Shoelaces_ tied _? Double-check. Momo's monogrammed handkerchief? Che –_

He froze at the threshold of his home. Indeed, folded neatly and tucked into the breast pocket of his shirt was Momo's handkerchief. He'd washed it last night and placed it on his desk. How did it wind up in his pocket? He must have grabbed it unconsciously on his way down to breakfast. He considered the silken cloth closely...before safely tucking it back into his breast pocket. Maybe...maybe it would bring him good luck? Yeah, _that_ didn't sound pathetic...

Opening the door, he waved his mother a cheerful goodbye, and set out for his first day of ninth grade.

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki woke up pissed off. He brushed his teeth pissed off, got dressed pissed off, gathered his school supplies pissed off, ate breakfast pissed off, cleaned his plate pissed off, hugged his mother pissed off, and left for school pissed off. And that was all on a _typical_ morning. That morning, however, he was _far_ beyond pissed off. He was absolutely livid. Problem was, he wasn't sure if he was livid at Deku...or himself.

Things hadn't gone the way he'd wanted the day before. Usually, things played out the same way whenever he and Deku had these little confrontations. The green-haired little twerp would start getting ideas, ideas that he could be a _somebody_ , and then he'd start looking down on the _actual_ somebodies like Bakugou. When that happened, it became necessary for good ole King Explodo-Kill to put Deku in his place. But yesterday...

...yesterday the Quirkless runt had gotten hurt.

Bakugou scowled, kicking away a can on the sidewalk that had the audacity to be in his walking path. It wasn't like Deku had been sent home with broken arms or something! The entire freaking thing had only happened because the idiot didn't know how to tie his damn shoes properly! Nevertheless, Katsuki had begun to feel guilty, freaking _guilty_ , that it had happened! Like he owed _Deku_ an apology or something! He _hated_ that feeling, hated it more vehemently than he hated the very notion of not winning. Well, he simply wasn't going to let it stand. He'd already ripped that pair of idiots new asses for getting too handsy with Deku's stuff the day before, which just so happened to be one reason they had decided not to accompany him to school that morning. Now all he had to do was, ugh... _make amends_ for what happened. He wasn't going to _apologize_ , he was just going to convince Deku of his sincerity that smashing that _stupid_ face of his into a wall hadn't been intentional.

The scowl remained on Bakugou's face as he approached the front gate of the school. Just why the _hell_ had Deku gotten it into his head that he could attend Yuuei? They had the largest barrier of entry of any Pro Hero school in the nation, and for good reason! Only the best of the best deserved to attend Yuuei, and the notoriously difficult entrance exam for the Hero Course proved that point. If Deku tried to get into the Hero Course as some Quirkless nobody, he would fail. Even if by some miracle he succeeded, that sort of success would only serve to make the entire school look as pathetic as Deku was! 'Oh, look, it's the school so easy that even a Quirkless runt can get in!' If Deku went to Yuuei, it would ruin everything Bakugou had been working toward. Ruin the school's reputation, ruin Bakugou's goal of being the first student accepted into Yuuei from their podunk middle school...ruin _everything_!

Katsuki felt his anger rising again, and had to strain not to set off a few explosions just to make himself feel a bit better. Why couldn't the little twerp just get it through his head already?! The Hero world wasn't _for_ the likes of _him_! It was made for people like Bakugou, people with the talent and the drive to achieve greatness! Fate had decided to make Deku Quirkless, and thus it would be fate that he would never achieve such an absurd dream. He should just let it go and become something more suitable, something that suited his wimpy personality, like a daycare worker or something. That seemed more his speed.

Wordlessly, Bakugou stepped into the crowded throng of students gathered in front of the class roster listings. Seeing what was written there, he gritted his teeth and began making his way toward the auditorium. He couldn't see his target amid the students gathered for the opening ceremony, but that didn't surprise him given how short Deku was. The ceremony was short and simple, barely a ceremony at all, which made it the best kind. When it was over, the blonde boy headed in the direction of the classrooms.

Upon reaching his class, Bakugou slid the door open with such force that it crashed with a loud 'BANG!' against the other end of the doorway. Sure enough, across the room sat Deku, just as the roster had shown. Even the sound of a simple door being slammed had been enough to make the runt nearly leap out of his skin. Bakugou almost grinned at the green-haired boy's reaction...and then he noticed the bruise on Deku's face, and his mood once again became sour.

 _Time to get this over with._

"Oi, Deku!" Bakugou snarled, slamming both hands onto the boy's desk.

"K-Kacchan?!" responded Deku, a look of absolute terror on his face.

Bakugou leaned in close, snarl on his face becoming more prominent as he looked the little twerp in the eye. The boy made an audible gulping sound in his throat.

"We have unfinished business, _Deku_ ," Katsuki said, with all the charm of a yakuza extorting a shopkeeper. "You and I never did get to finish our little chat from yesterday. So, we'll go ahead and get that taken care of _today_. The rooftop. Lunch hour. Be there, twerp. I'm gonna give you an opportunity to explain your little comment about Yuuei, so you'd best be _grateful_."

Deku, too frightened to vocalize properly, simply nodded.

And with that, Bakugou stepped away from the Quirkless runt, put his things in their proper place in his desk, and readied himself for his first day of class.

* * *

 _Momo rode upon a white stallion near the shore, a slope of green grass and the ocean to her right, cobblestone road and farmland to her left. As she continued on her way, she happened to spot three crows in the grass. Cawing loudly, the birds pecked at the huddled form of a small green bunny._

" _Deku! Deku! Deku!" shrieked the crows. The bunny they tormented quivered in fear, too afraid to fight back._

 _Without a moment's hesitation, Momo leaped from the saddle of her horse to rush the group of animals, flailing about wildly with a sword she'd acquired from seemingly nowhere. The birds took flight still screeching their call of 'Deku! Deku!' as they fled. One of the crows halted its retreat for but a moment, its red eyes glaring angrily at Momo. Then it spit, as a human would, and when the spit hit the ground at Momo's feet it popped with a miniature explosion. With one last screech of 'DEKU!', the bird vanished into the distance._

 _Cautiously, the black-haired girl approached the fallen bunny, kneeling close to it as it shivered in the grass._

" _It's alright," the girl cooed softly to the animal. "I'm not going to hurt you."_

 _A closer inspection revealed that the unfortunate creature had been harmed already, and a terrible gash ran along the right side of its face. Unfortunately, it seemed that Momo was without any sort of bandages or medicine, so there was really only one logical option remaining. Taking the battered bunny gingerly in her hands, she brought the animal up to her lips and gently kissed it upon its forehead._

 _There was a great flash of light, and suddenly the bunny was no longer in Momo's hands. Instead, kneeling on the ground only a few inches from her, was a boy. More cute than handsome, with a face dotted with freckles, and a curly mop of green hair that matched his eyes, the youth smiled at her. It was an enormous, warm smile that set her heart to fluttering and made her cheeks burn. It was a smile that seemed_ meant _for her, and her alone._

" _Thank you for saving me," said the boy._

 _Momo merely nodded, unable to find words. The two continued that way for awhile, kneeling in the grass and gazing at one another._

" _Do you..." Momo hesitantly began, her face ablaze with a fierce blush, "want to be friends?"_

" _Have you asked me?"_

" _I just did!"_

 _The boy shook his head, though the smile remained on his face. "That isn't what I mean."_

" _Well, what_ do _you mean?"_

" _I mean," the green-haired boy calmly spoke as he took her hands in his, "have you asked_ ME _?"_

 _Momo gripped his hands tightly. "I don't know if I can..."_

" _I do. I_ know _you can do this. Take that first step."_

" _But what if you turn me away? What if you're intimated by me like everyone else?"_

" _Do you truly think I would be?"_

 _Momo looked down at her lap. "No...no, of course not. Okay...I'll ask you."_

 _The boy's smile seemed to become even warmer. Looking at him, Momo felt the strangest desire welling up inside of her, though she couldn't quite understand what it might be. She looked deeply into the boy's eyes._

" _I look forward to meeting you again...Izuku-kun..."_

" _I'm certain I feel the same way...Momo-chan. Now, wake up!"_

* * *

For as long as Momo could remember, her life had followed a strict structure. The few people in her life, outside of her family's household, that became close enough to the girl to learn this structure were almost always surprised to find that it was, and had always been, her own idea. From the moment she woke, to the moment she slept, her days invariably followed a predictable path. She would wake early, followed by exercise and a shower, eat while she studied and/or trained in the usage of her Quirk, and then leave for school. She allowed herself some time for rest and recreation when she returned home, but afterward it was more study and practice for the rest of the evening until bed. Momo had been perfectly content with that sort of life, and had even maintained a perfectly unbroken streak over the last seven years.

Her streak ended that morning.

That morning, she woke two _hours_ later than normal, and had to rush through her shower and breakfast routine so quickly that she still had toast in her mouth as Sebastian greeted her in the driveway of the Yaoyorozu Estate. The knowing smirk upon the old driver's face made him look very nearly _villainous_ , and he visibly struggled to contain his laughter upon witnessing the girl attempting to eat her food, fix her hair, and put her school blazer on all at once whilst sprinting toward the limousine. The girl did her best to glare at the man, but she was really too distracted with all the rest to put any feeling behind it.

As driver and passenger got situated in the car, setting off on their late journey, Sebastian glanced at the frustrated girl in the rear-view mirror.

"Rough night, young miss?" the old man said, not at all trying to hide the humor in his voice.

"Sod off," Momo bit back sharply through a mouthful of toast. Half a moment later, realizing what she'd done, the girl's face went beet-red with embarrassment.

Sebastian merely laughed, a deep, throaty bark of a laugh. "Haha! Such language! You must have had quite the fine dream indeed to make you forget both your alarm _and_ your manners."

"Sebastian, I am _so_ sorry!" replied Momo, bowing as deeply as she could manage while seated. Her long hair, still untied, fell about the sides of her head to obscure her face. "That was most shamefully rude of me."

"Think nothing of it, young miss. This old codger found it quite the refreshing change of pace."

The driver's voice had returned to his usual professionalism, but the smile never left his eyes.

"So... _was_ it, young miss?"

"Was...what?" asked the girl, cocking one curious eyebrow in confusion, while her hands continued to try and tame her unruly hair.

"Was it a good dream?"

Momo...wasn't entirely sure. Had she even dreamed in the first place? Hmm, yes, she had. Had it been a good dream, though? She strained to remember as she finished her ponytail and casually grabbed something from her book-bag. Bits and pieces drifted back to her, until Momo could once again clearly see the events of the dream in her mind. Her heartbeat quickened at the memory.

"Ah, never mind me, young miss," the driver said with a gentle smile, pointing a finger at her in the reflection of the mirror. "All things considered, I think I know."

For a brief moment, the dark-haired girl was confused. Then she realized that the whole time she had been recalling the dream, she'd been clutching something in both arms. Understanding dawned on her as she saw what it was. She'd been _hugging_ Izuku's Hero Notebook! When had she grabbed it? Her face burned as she looked down at the book. Moving it far enough from her to read, she slowly opened its damaged cover. There was an odd...tightness...in her chest as she flipped through the pages. So much potential...so much that Izuku's mind had to offer the world...and nobody paid attention just because he was Quirkless? What fools...

Even after arriving in front of her school, Momo did not move from her seat. Her gaze was locked upon the charred notebook. Then, as if coming to a decision in her mind, she gave a firm nod.

"Sebastian?" she asked, voice filled with all the determination she could muster.

"Yes, young miss?" came the reply, the driver's face betraying nothing behind his mask of stoic professionalism.

"When you return to the estate...please be sure to inform Mother that I shall be visiting someone after school today."

"Of course, young miss. And whom, may I ask, shall I be taking you to meet?"

Momo gave him her biggest smile as she exited the car. "A friend!"

Turning, she made her way onto the school grounds, still clutching Izuku's notebook tightly to her chest.

 _I want to see him again. I want to see you...Midoriya-kun!_

* * *

School rooftops in April could get a little chilly if the wind happened to pick up. Izuku knew that wouldn't be a problem for Kacchan, though. He could give off quite a bit of heat with his explosions, if he felt the need to. Of course, the green-haired boy knew the chill that was running down his spine wasn't _actually_ from thoughts that the rooftop might be cold. _Why_ was he doing this, again? Willfully walking up the stairs, when he could have just ignored Bakugou's request...was he insane?! Maybe he was, but Izuku had decided long ago that he wouldn't back down. Kacchan always had some _problem_ with Izuku's desire to attend Yuuei's Hero Course. He didn't have all the facts, though! Maybe, just maybe, the Quirkless boy could get Bakugou to understand if he just explained it right. He opened the door to the rooftop.

Kacchan had already arrived, of course.

What truly surprised Izuku was that his usual two lackeys were nowhere to be seen. The boy raised an eyebrow at that, looking around a second and third time just to be certain. Sure enough, the only other person on the rooftop was Bakugou, leaning against the safety fencing, and looking over his shoulder at the grounds below. In either of his hands, curiously, was held a beverage can.

Without warning, the blonde boy tossed one of the cans at Izuku. The green-haired youth fumbled a bit as he caught it, but managed to keep from dropping the drink. It was a can of fruit juice. Kacchan would undoubtedly be drinking a soda. He'd always preferred carbonated beverages and –

"We're square, now. Got it, Deku?" Bakugou growled from his spot by the fence.

"S-square?" responded Izuku with a look of confusion.

"Don't play dumb!" shouted Kacchan, crushing his can and tossing it carelessly at his feet. "Your face, moron!"

"O-oh! T-thank yo–"

"We aren't on this roof so you can thank me, _Deku_! We're up here so that you can tell me exactly what you meant in the store yesterday!"

"W-what I...meant?"

"You are _really_ trying my patience, you Quirkless twerp. _WHAT_ did you _MEAN_ when you told that old bag behind the counter that you were gonna go to _YUUEI_?!"

Izuku fidgeted with his hands nervously, looking away as he tried to organize his thoughts. "W-well, I...t-that is, um...I m-mean..."

The boy trailed off, completely uncertain what to say.

"Tch! Fine!" Kacchan said with a glare. "You wanna act all coy? Then you can go straight to hell! You've got today as a freebie, but tomorrow you're gonna wish you were dead! Lookin' down on _me_...who the _hell_ do you think you are, huh?!"

Bakugou headed toward the door, a look of barely restrained fury on his face. Izuku was horribly confused. How in the world was he _supposed_ to respond?! What the hell was he supposed to _do_?!

" _I know...,"_ his mind recalled the words, _"that you_ can _become a Hero...Midoriya-kun."_

"I'M TAKING THE SUPPORT COURSE EXAM!"

Kacchan froze in place, hand hovering in the air just in front of the door handle. He turned to look at Izuku, cocking his head to the side as he eyed the green-haired boy. Izuku held his ground, back straight, chin up, eyes determined...and his knees shaking so hard that his legs seemed to _vibrate_.

"Support?" Bakugou said, as if he'd never even heard the word before.

"I-I'm...going to s-study really hard this year, and t-take the examination for Yuuei's S-Support Course!"

Kacchan's expression seemed to change, his anger mixing with some other, unfamiliar emotion on his face. Confusion?

"Eeeeeeh?! You expect me to believe that after all of those years and years of being all 'Yuuei! Yuuei! Hero! Hero!' you're going to just, what?! Give it up to become some egghead in a machine shop?! Huh?!"

"Not f-forever."

Bakugou's look turned icy, his eyes hard as stone. ""And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"If...if someone from S-Support or General S-Studies manages to make an impression at Yuuei's annual Sports F-Fesitval...if they make it into the top three..."

The fires of determination burned hot and bright in Izuku's eyes.

"If I place at the Sports Festival," the boy declared, "they'll _have_ to let me join the Hero Course!"

Kacchan stared at Izuku, right eye twitching, clenching and unclenching his hands. Before the green-haired boy could react, Bakugou had seized him by the front of his uniform, slamming him against the rooftop fence. His red eyes stared pure rage at Izuku as he proceeded to lift him ever so slightly off his feet.

"A _cheat_?!" Bakugou shrieked. "I come up here, thinking maybe you finally got smart, and _that's_ your grand plan?! To abuse some _loophole_ and _cheat_ your way around the system cuz you're too _WEAK_ to get in the _RIGHT WAY?!"_

The blonde boy seemed ready to burst, and Izuku could do nothing but squirm in his vice-like grip.

"You just don't _get it_ , do you, _DEKU?"_ Kacchan said, holding one of his hands out to the side while the other arm held Izuku in place. Explosions from his free hand served to emphasize his words. "You just ( **BOOM!** ) don't ( **BOOM!** ) _FUCKING_ ( **BOOM!** ) _GET IT_! ( **BOOM! BOOM!** ) This is _MY_ journey! ( **BOOM!** ) _MY DESTINY_! ( **BOOM!** )"

Bakugou released the Quirkless boy, shoving him away with one last growl before walking toward the door.

Izuku _didn't_ get it. He _didn't_ understand! Going through Support wasn't a cheat, it was making use of a strategy suitable for someone without a combat Quirk! And if he didn't place in the Sports Festival, it wouldn't even matter! Bakugou couldn't even complain about Izuku marring his opportunity to be the only kid from their school to pass Yuuei's Hero Exam, since the green-haired boy wouldn't be taking it! So _why_ was Kacchan still so _mad_?

"Kaccha–"

" _SHUT UP_!"

Bakugou stopped at the door, exhaling heavily.

"I'm gonna give you this year, _Deku_ ," the boy said without turning. "You study your little egghead shit and whatever else it takes. You _get_ into the Support Course..."

He looked over at his shoulder at Izuku, a dark shadow hanging over his features, and murder in his red eyes.

"...and when we meet in the Sports Festival next year, I am going to so thoroughly _crush_ you that you'll be left as nothing more than a sobbing heap of _roadkill_ on the pavement, unable to even _lift_ a socket wrench. And everyone in the _nation_ will know that Quirkless, gutter trash _cheats_ can't hack it when faced with a _REAL HERO_..."

With that, the boy left, slamming the door behind him. Izuku, uncertain whether or not Bakugou's words were a challenge or a threat, remained on the rooftop, more confused than he'd been when he arrived.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _I'll take the time to go ahead and expand a bit on a subject I have spoken of before (in review replies on FFNet, and in the Chapter One Author's Note on AO3) with regard to the character of Bakugou Katsuki._

 _The Bakugou of "For Want of a Notebook" has managed to work himself up into a fury at what is, ultimately, a misconception. What began with him fixating on a feeling of guilt at what happened outside the stationery store has managed to fester because he cannot see Izuku's desire to be a Hero as being born of pure, natural altruism. We, the audience, know and understand that Deku is an absolute cinnamon roll that isn't interested in the glory, money, or fame – he legitimately just desires to help people so deeply that he feels he cannot give up on his dream, no matter how impossible people say it is. Bakugou_ does not understand this _at this early point in the timeline, because he has his own warped views of what Heroes_ are _, and what Heroes_ do _, and he hasn't yet experienced the character development of the Sludge Villain attack, Izuku's participation in the Hero Course Exam, the League of Villains' assault on the USJ, or Izuku's self-sacrificing attempt to help Todoroki at the Sports Festival.  
_

 _At this early juncture, Bakugou perceives Izuku's struggle as someone trying to game the system so that they can stand among people better than they are, a pauper dressing in princely garb that he may call himself a prince to strangers. Thus, already in a foul mood because of Izuku's anxiety pissing him off during their conversation, when Izuku tells him he plans to completely_ bypass _the biggest proving ground of Yuuei, the Hero Exam, he perceives it as a cheat. Like someone who isn't good at running trying to win a marathon by leaving the track and taking a taxi nearly to the finish line. He is_ wrong _, of course, but his own preconceptions about himself, Deku, and Pro Heroes in general blind him to the truth._

 _Between now and the events of the day of the Sludge Villain attack, Bakugou will be a bit out of focus. Rest assured, however, that he still has a role to play in this tale._

 _Tell me your thoughts in the reviews/comments, both on where you think I'm taking Bakugou in the story (hint: he still won't_ _become a villain), and what you think about the developing connection between Momo and Izuku. I look forward to your responses._

 _~ Sophie ~_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** _My sincerest apologies for the very last-minute update. I have been having a lot of difficulty lately between a shockingly busy work schedule, bad weather, depression, and a fight with my mother. As such, my mind was a mess when I_ could _find time to write, and I'm not super happy with this chapter. Regardless, I really hope you all enjoy it._

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Moomoo-tan!"

Momo heaved an exasperated sigh. Before reading the class rosters, she'd hoped _that_ girl wouldn't be in her class. After discovering she was, Momo knew it had been too much to expect she could go unaccosted for the full duration of a school day. And, like clockwork, when the lunch bell inevitably rang, _that_ girl brazenly strutted up to her desk and planted her posterior right on top of it. She stared down at Momo with a snide grin, her slitted yellow eyes glinting with predatory glee.

"Moomoo-tan! I half thought you wouldn't be back this year!"

"Kotoryuu-san," Momo responded curtly, "I don't recall giving you permission to be so familiar."

The girl arrogantly sitting atop Momo's desk was Kotoryuu Komoko, the "Queen" of Mygeeto Girls' Private Middle School. Extra long hair that one could not help but compare to the color of sewage dangled in twin tails from the sides of her head, framing a light-skinned, pretty human face splotched here and there with yellow-green lizard scales. Kotoryuu's position on the desk was necessary for her to have any kind of ability to look down on Momo, considering she was a good 23 centimeters shorter than the Yaoyorozu heiress.

"Now, now, Moomoo-tan," Kotoryuu whispered, adjusting her skirt and crossing her thigh-high stockinged legs. "I can't very well listen to your whining whilst you refuse to call me Kotoryuu- _sama_ , as is _proper_. Here I thought I was being kind by using a cute name like 'Moomoo-tan,' but I suppose I can simply return to calling you _dairy cow_."

Dairy cow.

Kotoryuu had delighted in calling Momo that crude nickname throughout the entirety of their first two years of middle school. Quite possibly as a side-effect of her Quirk, Momo had developed at a fairly early age. The Queen of Mygeeto Middle, however, had not. Short, skinny and flat-chested, this girl with the personality of an angry wasp had not failed to make her bitterness toward Momo known. From the day they'd met in seventh grade, the twin pony-tailed girl had done her very best to make the Yaoyorozu heiress' school life miserable. It was quite possible that the Yaoyorozu family name had a lot to do with it, as well. Kotoryuu and Yaoyorozu had been rival companies for generations, now, but the latter had always managed to come out on top. But at this private school, where all the attending girls were raised to view someone like Momo as an enemy, Kotoryuu's goal of ostracizing her hadn't been difficult to accomplish. Thus, Momo had gone through two years of middle school friendless, and mocked for petty reasons.

"Do you need something, Kotoryuu-san?" the taller girl asked pointedly, though she took care to speak with a smile. "I had no time to prepare a lunch this morning, I'm afraid. As such, I'll have to buy some bread, so I'd appreciate it if you got to the point."

Kotoryuu's grin vanished, to be replaced with a scowl. "Watch yourself, _dairy cow._ I still run this whole damn school. I could _end_ you with a _word_."

Momo simply locked her face into a neutral expression, and she stood up from her seat to her full height to look down at the girl stoically. "Unless the word is 'sorry,' then I don't think I'd care to hear it, Kotoryuu-san. I'm leaving now. Feel free to sit on someone else's desk."

The black-haired girl turned to walk toward the classroom door. She hadn't gone more than a few steps before Kotoryuu's voice stopped her cold.

"Hero Research?" the girl's voice called out mockingly. "Volume Thirteen by...Midoriya Izuku?"

Momo turned sharply to look at the yellow-eyed girl. In her hand was Izuku's notebook, and Kotoryuu flipped idly through its pages, snickering at the contents as if it were some gag manga. She must have taken it out of Momo's desk the moment the tall girl's back was turned. The shorter girl sneered in satisfaction at Momo's reaction.

"Who is Midoriya Izuku, dairy cow? Boyfriend?" Kotoryuu asked, running a slender finger down the notebook's spine. "Honestly, it looks like a kiddie project. You start a tutoring job over break? Or maybe you just like 'em young and impressionable, hmm?"

"Put. That. Back," Momo stated, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"Oooooh, scaaaaary," responded the yellow-eyed girl. "Quite the reaction, dairy cow. This Izuku-kun must be quite important to you."

Momo gritted her teeth, both hands clenched into fists at her sides. " _You_ don't get to call him that."

"I'll call him whatever the hell I want, dairy cow. Aaaaah, but this little book is sooooo interesting. Almost enough to make me... _drool_."

The threat in her voice was very clear. Kotoryuu's Quirk was known as Toxicity. Her saliva glands produced an incredibly corrosive and venomous fluid, capable of causing significant acid damage, as well as extreme illness if used against humans. She couldn't consciously regulate her Quirk, which was just one more thing she felt the need to be bitter over, and it meant that some very basic pleasures in life would forever be denied to her. The taste of food and drink barely registered, she had to be conscientious of casually spitting or sharing her tableware (her own bathroom sink and dishes even had to be constructed from acid-resistant polymers), and she'd never know the joy of sharing a deep kiss with a significant other. If asked honestly about it, Momo would have said she pitied the girl. Many had done so throughout Kotoryuu's life, and it had filled the short girl with a fiery anger.

But now it was Momo's turn to be angry, and she closed the gap between her and Kotoryuu in a flash. She loomed over the smaller girl, abusing every extra centimeter of her height, a shadow over her dark eyes.

"Give. Me. The notebook," she demanded, and her voice brooked no argument.

Kotoryuu, for her part, seemed legitimately surprised at the intensity of Momo's response. So, with a huff, she held out the notebook to the Yaoyorozu heiress. As the taller girl reached for it, however, Kotoryuu let it fall to the floor of the classroom with a loud slapping sound.

"Oops," said the yellow-eyed girl with mock humility. "Butterfingers. Silly me."

And with a flick of her twin ponytails, the girl hopped off Momo's desk and made her way out of the classroom.

Momo...wasn't sure why she felt so _angry_. It was only a notebook, and a damaged one at that. But...it was _Izuku's_ notebook, and something about that fact alone made it somehow...precious. And Kotoryuu had threatened to _ruin_ it.

The dark-haired girl knelt down, picking the book up off the floor. It wasn't damaged anymore than it had already been before Kotoryuu had dropped it, but now Momo felt like it wouldn't be safe in her desk. With a sigh, and the knowledge that a sizable portion of her lunch break had been spent pointlessly playing right into the shorter girl's hands, Momo simply elected to take the charred notebook with her to the vending machines. It wasn't as if it would get in the way of her meal...

* * *

By the time classes for the day had finally ended, Midoriya Izuku was certain he had never felt quite so mentally so exhausted. Except for possibly his medical checkup at age 4.

After the confrontation on the rooftop, the green-haired boy's anxiety had kicked itself into overdrive. He found himself unable to concentrate on the lessons, glancing from his notes, to the teacher, to Kacchan, to his other classmates, back to Kacchan, to his notes again, and back to Kacchan. When last period had finally arrived, Izuku's anxiety had begun to snowball into a full-blown panic attack. Hurriedly, the boy decided to focus his mind on something that could keep his attention and settle his nerves – his hero research. Shifting his mechanical pencil into his off-hand (to use its steady 'click-click-click' as audible stimulus), he grabbed another from his pencil case, and withdrew Hero Notebook Volume 14 from his desk. He swiftly flipped it open to the very first addition he'd made to it after he'd purchased it from the store.

 _'Yaoyorozu Momo.'_

Izuku hadn't gotten very far with his note-taking back in the limo that day, barely having filled out even the basic information about the girl who rescued him from further humiliation by Bakugou.

 _'Tall height, deep brown eyes, long black hair in a ponytail, pale skin, Quirk can produce objects from body.'_

That was all the green-haired boy had managed to get onto the page before circumstances had begun getting too embarrassing or personal to concentrate. He wouldn't be able to acquire more info than that, though, unless he somehow found a way to speak with her again. It wasn't like she was some Pro Hero, whose feats Izuku could witness firsthand or follow on the news feeds. All that considered, the boy chose to focus on her sketch instead.

Between the steady clicks of his off-hand pencil, and the muted sounds of the rest of his class as they became more and more ready for the day to end, Izuku quickly lost himself within the depths of his concentration. The sound of the final bell snapped him out of his trance nearly an hour later, and the boy looked down to see what he'd accomplished while lost in thought...and immediately reddened at the sight.

Rather than his usual full-body sketch, Izuku seemed to have unconsciously made the decision to do a portrait of Momo's face. He wasn't a spectacular artist by any stretch of the imagination, but anyone who had ever met the dark-haired girl could have likely recognized her in the boy's work. In the sketch, she appeared to look off the page at Izuku with the soft smile she'd offered him before telling him those very important words. Special attention seemed to have been paid to Momo's eyes and mouth, and the boy's face became even redder when he noticed what he'd added next to the picture.

 _'Do your best, Midoriya-kun!'_ was written in a speech bubble next to Momo's face, as if the girl in the sketch were cheering him on.

Hastily, the boy closed Hero Notebook Volume 14, placing it and his school supplies into his bag. He'd been 'volunteered' for the first day's cleaning duties, and hadn't had the courage to object. He vowed that would all change soon enough. When Izuku finally finished his duties, and set off on his way home from school, he found his mind wandering, again and again, to the portrait in his notebook. Why had he drawn her picture like that? And the speech bubble...

 _Did her saying_ that _to me really affect me so much?_ He thought. He shook his head roughly. _I am_ not _going to overthink it!_

It was a futile effort, though.

The boy's mind continued to drift as he walked the familiar streets. He idly contemplated Momo's kindness and generosity. The soft smile from the sketch invaded his mind again, and he realized that he'd reached into his breast pocket without thinking. Slowly, he pulled out Momo's handkerchief. A gift made to him in the form of an icepack, a gift she'd wholesale _created_ with her amazing Quirk.

 _If she returns Hero Notebook Thirteen,_ he considered, _is she going to want this back?_

The idea bothered him, though he couldn't quite place why.

"'M.Y.,'" he muttered, staring at the monogram. He could almost imagine that the letters stood for 'Midoriya' and 'Yaoyorozu,' rather than simply Momo's initials. "But that would be too much...I'm letting myself get fixated on such a simple courtesy..."

But could anyone blame him for it? It had been so long since he'd had a real friend. Not since he was six, and it was made official that he wasn't simply some late-bloomer. Being officially Quirkless, as defined by the field of medicine and society at large, may as well have been a neon sign over his declaring him a loser. But Momo...she said he could be a Hero. She said that she'd like to be schoolmates in the future. Was it too much to hope that maybe they could become friends in the _present_? He placed the handkerchief back into his pocket. He supposed he'd just have to wait and see.

He turned the corner of his street...and stopped in his tracks. There, in front of the house, was parked a familiar limousine.

 _Did...did she come herself? Or is it only Sebastian-san?_ Izuku thought, not even realizing he'd broken into a run.

He raced toward his home at a sprint, charging through the gate, and bursting through the front door. He flung his shoes off in the entryway, and swiftly sped into the dining area, sliding along the floor with his socked feet.

Sitting at the table, as Izuku's mother bustled around the kitchen to finish preparing the evening meal, was none other than Sebastian...and in the seat _next_ to him, staring wide-eyed at Izuku's rather dramatic entrance, was Momo. She wore the same school uniform as the previous day, sans blazer, which had been hung on the nearby coat rack.

"Midoriya-kun?" the girl spoke, curious at his dynamic entry.

"Y-Yaoyorozu-san?! Sebastian-san?!" the boy exclaimed in confusion. "W-what are you two d-doing here?!"

"Izuku!" scolded his mother from the kitchen. He looked in her direction to see the prominent frown on her face. "That is _not_ how we greet guests! Welcome them properly, then wash up and help me set the table!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Izuku responded, swiftly turning to bow to his pair of house-guests. "Welcome to my home, and thank you for visiting!"

"P-pardon the intrusion," Momo replied, embarrassment at the spectacle bringing a faint hint of color to her cheeks. Izuku failed to notice the familiar notebook in her lap.

Sebastian, meanwhile, was making a valiant effort to maintain his professional demeanor, though the slightest hints of an amused smile peeked through the facade for a fleeting moment, as the green-haired boy quickly excused himself to wash his hands. He returned a few minutes later, setting places at the table as his mother had instructed. The two guests remained perfectly still and silent throughout the process, and the air had become a little awkward by the time Izuku had finished with the table prep and moved to the kitchen to ask his mother if she needed help. The woman quickly shooed him out, insisting that he needed to take care of entertaining his 'new friend and her butler.'

So Izuku found himself sitting at the dining table, hands in his lap, fidgeting nervously, and wondering just how he was gonna mess this up.

* * *

Momo wasn't faring much better than her anxious host. She had not been to a friend's house for a visit in _years,_ and never a boy's home, nor such a modest one. Her area of expertise was the realm of business dinners, executive parties, and lavish gala events, almost always hosted by her parents or some other members of Japan's high society. She couldn't even remember a time when she'd sat at such a small table anywhere but at a coffee shop, or when seated at a desk to study. Even so, it soon became clear that Izuku was far too flustered to initiate conversation. So, with a deep breath, Momo decided to make the first move.

"So, Midoriya-kun," the dark-haired girl began, "how was your first day back to school?"

Izuku visibly flinched at her words, and Momo immediately regretted her choice of conversation starter. The green-haired boy _did_ make an attempt to salvage the conversation, though, steadying himself with a few breaths.

"Um, i-it wasn't too b-bad, Yaoyorozu-san," he answered. "All things c-considered, I mean. What about y-you? Did your f-first day go w-well?"

 _'Watch yourself, dairy cow. I still run this whole damn school.'_

"N-not bad!" Momo replied a bit too hastily, as she clenched her fist reflexively against the memory of Kotoryuu. "A-all things considered..."

"Ahem," Sebastian's voice cut in. "Perhaps you could go ahead and offer an explanation as to why we came by, young miss?"

Momo's face brightened at the suggestion, and she sat up a little straighter in her seat. "Oh, yes! Of course, Sebastian. Thank you for reminding me."

The girl made a mental note to get the old driver something nice as thanks for saving her from all of that awkwardness.

The bearded gentleman, meanwhile, simply nodded. "I will see if I might offer to help the lady of the house with bringing out the food."

The girl crossed out her previous mental note, instead setting a reminder to shave the man's beard while he slept. _Leaving me alone like that...he's doing this on purpose!_

Before Momo could protest her driver's decision, Sebastian had vanished into the kitchen area. Oddly, the girl and her host both noted, Inko didn't send the man away as she'd done with Izuku.

"Um, y-yes. Well...," Momo started, shifting nervously in her seat. "You...you forgot this in our car yesterday, Midoriya-kun."

A very distant part of her mind, the part still angry at Kotoryuu, wondered if maybe she should consider calling him 'Izuku-kun,' instead. The girl shook her head. _Not the time for that! Definitely not!_

The dark-haired girl held out the charred form of Hero Notebook Volume 13 to Izuku. "T-these notes are important to you, right? To your goal of becoming a Hero? I thought you might like them back right away."

Izuku stared down at the book for several seconds. Before he could make a move to accept the proffered item, however, Inko and Sebastian returned to the table, arms laden with the night's dinner. Momo returned the notebook to her lap, exhaling deeply as Izuku's mother began portioning out the food. She'd simply return it before she and Sebastian left, she figured. It wouldn't feel quite so awkward then, she was sure of it. With a hearty thanks for the meal, the four of them set about eating.

The food tasted _wonderful_ , though it was a little difficult to enjoy with such a prominent silence at the table. It wasn't the lack of dialogue. Momo often ate alone, or with only her parents, and there tended to be little conversation at dinner time on any given day. But it was strange in such a confined space, at such a confined table. It felt like something was off. Curiously enough, it was Inko who chose to break the silence.

"So, Yaoyorozu-san," the smiling woman began, "my son tells me you're aiming for the Yuuei Hero Course. Is that true?"

"Yes, Midoriya-san," answered Momo. "I am studying and training quite hard to be a successful student there."

"Please, please, call me Inko."

"V-very well."

"You say that you're studying and training hard? Are you concerned about passing the Hero Exam?"

Momo's chopsticks paused midway to her mouth, and she gave Izuku a sideways glance. Heat returned to the girl's face, and she looked away in embarrassment.

"The young miss is already an exceptional student, with an exceptional Quirk," Sebastian explained on Momo's behalf. "Several veteran Pro Heroes have witnessed her talents through her parents' enterprise, and have extended offers for recommendation."

Izuku's mother looked confused. "Recommendation? What does that mean?"

"A recommendation means that she has the backing of a Pro Hero, who will vouch for her talent," Izuku replied. "It means she's skilled enough that she doesn't have to take the entrance exam. Yaoyorozu-san...you really are incredible!"

Momo looked up sharply at the boy's words, seeing him smiling at her from across the table. Not a fake smile to hide jealousy or resentment, nor a smile meant to curry favor, but a _genuine_ smile, a smile filled to brim with excitement and admiration of her abilities. Her face heated more, to such a degree that Momo was almost certain she'd gone entirely red, and the girl just barely managed to catch the strained sound of a suppressed chuckle from Sebastian. She delivered a swift kick to his shin as retribution for his teasing, but it didn't seem to bother the old man much.

"Oooooh," Inko said after some consideration of Izuku's explanation. "Yaoyorozu-san must be a fantastic student, then! As smart as you are pretty!"

"P-p-p-please, Inko-san! That's n-not...," the red-faced girl's response died off, and she took several breaths to help restore her composure. "Please, Inko-san, if you insist that I call you by your given name, then I must ask you to do the same for me."

Izuku's mother smiled even wider, and tears of joy seemed to be brimming in her eyes. "You are such a sweet girl, Momo-chan."

In that instant, as Inko looked across the table at the dark-haired girl, her smile seemed to shift into something more like a conspiratorial smirk. "So...how about it then, Momo-chan? Won't you consider tutoring my son?"

Izuku all but inhaled his rice at his mother's words, coughing and sputtering at the suggestion. "M-m-m-mom?! W-w-what are y-you asking?!"

How Inko had managed to sense Momo's intentions, she could not say. But she saw the opportunity to seize upon a topic that she herself had hoped, and failed, to broach earlier.

"Yes," she said, her voice all business. She had to play this deadly serious. "I would very much like to help Midoriya-kun with his studies."

Inko looked fit to burst with sheer joy, and Izuku could only look at the girl, eyes swirling blankly with utter confusion. After a moment, the green-haired boy shook off the effects of Momo's words, and he looked at her with...what emotion was that? Hope? _Fear?_ Did he think that she was playing a prank?

"Why, Yaoyorozu-san?" he asked bluntly.

"I...," Momo began, feeling the heat returning to her cheeks, "I was truly inspired by your earnest words. I thought it might be difficult for you, on your own, and..."

She met his gaze, her own determination burning hot inside of her. "...and you looked like someone in need of help!"

Now it was Izuku's turn, it seemed, as tears began welling in his own eyes. Like mother, like son, Momo supposed. He didn't allow himself to cry, though. He wiped at his face with his sleeve ferociously.

"Y-yes!" he exclaimed. "I would very much like to study with you!"

"It is going to be difficult!" came Sebastian's booming basso voice. "If you choose to do this, you will be held to the _highest_ standard! The household will not stand for any waste of the young miss' time! You will _study_ with the young miss...but if you accept, you shall also be undergoing _physical_ training..."

The man stood to his full height, and Izuku only then seemed to realize just how tall and powerfully built Sebastian was. The thought that perhaps he wasn't so old as he seemed clearly sprang to mind, Momo could tell. He didn't hold a candle to Pro Heroes like All-Might or Endeavor, certainly, but there was no doubt that a man like this could probably break Izuku in half with no more effort than it would take to snap a dried twig.

"...and that physical training shall be overseen by _me_ ," Sebastian finished, and Izuku looked from Sebastian, to Momo, and back to Sebastian, scrutinizing the man's uniform as if to pierce somme illusion.

"Sebastian isn't simply my driver. He has served as my physical training coach, martial arts instructor, and fencing master since I was six," Momo stated, reading the green-haired boy's thoughts as easily as if she were an esper. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a man with more skill and experience outside of the Pro Hero industry."

Momo then glanced at the man with a sarcastic smile, cocking one eyebrow. "You don't have to try so hard to look cool, though, Sebastian."

Sebastian sat back down, and had coughed politely into his hand. "It was for the boy's benefit, young miss. He needs to know the stakes, after all."

"I think he gets the idea," responded the girl, motioning toward Izuku.

The boy had fainted, though likely not in fear. Stars were plainly visible in his still-open eyes, his fists were clenched tightly in front of his chest, and his head nodded rapidly in a swift up and down movement.

Well, if there was one way Momo had imagined this conversation would go...that certainly hadn't been it.

* * *

When Izuku returned to consciousness, the sun was beginning to set outside. Surprisingly, Momo and Sebastian had elected not to leave without a proper farewell, in addition to wishing to provide him with a rough idea of the training schedule. Starting the following day, Izuku would be taking a train to the stop nearest Momo's home, where Sebastian would pick him up, and then drive him to the Yaoyorozu Estate. The _Yaoyorozu ESTATE_. He was going to be training at a mansion?!

Eventually, the time came for the pair of guests to be on their way. Sebastian left first, thanking Izuku's mother, giving the boy a firm handshake and a nod, and exiting to start up the limo.

Izuku walked Momo to the car, helped along by a few not-so-subtle gestures from Inko. The two of them stopped just outside of the front gate, and turned to face each other.

Momo, taking the initiative once again, held up Hero Notebook Volume 13. "Um, your notebook, Midoriya-kun."

Izuku looked at it for a moment, and a sudden thought struck him. He reached into his pocket, and withdrew Momo's monogrammed handkerchief. "If you're returning the notebook...I suppose I should return this, too."

Momo frowned at the suggestion. "Not at all, Midoriya-kun. The handkerchief was a gift. I did not expect it back. But the notebook was only in my car by accident."

Izuku considered her words, and then, with a nervous smile, he gently pushed the notebook back toward Momo. The handkerchief he placed back in his pocket.

"I w-want you to k-keep it, Yaoyorozu-san," the boy said, face red. "As a memento."

"A memento?" asked the dark-haired girl, confused, though she made no move to reject his gesture.

"Of the day we became..."

He wanted to say it, wanted to say it _so badly_ , but he couldn't quite get out the right word. "...p-partners."

Momo's own face began to redden, and she shook her head at the suggestion. Clutching the notebook to her chest with her left hand, she held out her right as if for a handshake. "N-not partners. How about...f-friends?"

Izuku beamed at her, for it was what he'd _wanted_ from the very start. He grasped her hand, and didn't stop to marvel at its softness, or that he was looking Momo straight in those amazing eyes.

"Y-yeah! Friends!"

Momo nodded, releasing his hand and stepping into the back seat of the car. She looked out the window at him as the car began to drive away.

"See you tomorrow, Midoriya-kun!"

"Ah! See you t-t-tomorrow, Yaoyorozu-san!"

The car turned a corner, vanishing as the evening turned to night. He didn't move from the spot in front of his house for nearly an hour, when his mom had finally gotten worried and came out to bring him inside. He had been afraid, terrified even, that if he moved, he might wake from the dream.

When he did wake the next morning, he rushed to check his desk. The training schedule and the handkerchief were still there. Tears fell at the thought that, yet again, Yaoyorozu Momo had made one of Midoriya Izuku's dreams come true.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** _And there you have it! With Chapter 4 out of the way, the real fun can begin, as Izuku begins his training with Momo and Sebastian. I am_ exhausted _after staying up way too late writing this, so I'm gonna go ahead and end this particular note early. I hope you all had fun with this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed my rival equivalent for Momo at Mygeeto Girls' Private Middle School, Kotoryuu Komoko. I had fun designing her, as well as coming up with a suitable Star Wars name for their school, so I hope you all enjoyed their interaction._

 _Please, leave a comment/review, and share your thoughts with me! I'd especially like to hear my readers' theories on which direction I intend to go with Izuku's studying/training. I already have the whole thing mapped out in a rough outline through Chapter 13, so I'm very curious to hear your predictions, and see if any of you happen to come close!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Sophie_


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